iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

450C dual arch grapple,

Started by BargeMonkey, February 19, 2014, 07:54:53 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

CCC4

My boss sells at a minimum of 5 sets of skidder tires a month...he would put whatever size the buyer would want. I know what you mean about the 30.5's they are just too wide! That skidder only goes to heavy cuts. We have one skidder on a tract i am cutting that has fairly tall tires but skinny...don't know the size of them, but they look like tractor tires. I sort of like it on steep ground so far. I have had to run it several times and it seems to do really well on the narrow tires.

Good luck man!

riverlogger

Hello Barge. I have been on here asking a million questions about my new to me 230 tj but man I have a lot and I mean a lot of hours on those machines like you are looking at/bought. As far as I can tell everything you have been told so far is spot on. If it where mine I would check all of the hoses under the cab area before I even hit the woods with it. Other than the trans problems that are the weak link on those machines the hoses under the cab go to that hot place below at about 4-6k hours and will cause you to pull your hair out in the woods. As for power and production you will for sure be all smiles when you grab a big drag with that monster. Man in the 90's that machine was the stud that others where judged by as far as im concerned. I have ran them all in the later model series....Clark "Southland Special" VME which was a later model clark. Cat, Tiger Cat and Tree Farmer just to list a few and man for my money that 450 was the man back then. Good luck and give er hell.

loggah

The 660 Franklin i had had 30.5 rubber but it was less then 10'wide with chains on. With the center oscillation the axles are narrower then machines with a cradle front end. The dual arch worked great and i put the big franklin winch on it ,177 h.p. cummins same h.p. as the 480 timberjack. I think the Franklin was a more stable machine then the Timberjacks because of the the center oscillation , but in a super hard pull the timberjack was just a bit better because when the front of the Franklin lifted the cab assembly would try and tilt to the side. You would have to fight this by trying to keep it straight with the steering cylinders. I really liked the Franklin !!!
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

Dave Shepard

I hope it works out well for you! A friend of mine has a 450, not sure of the series, but it's still a real 'Jack, not yet a Deere. It is a beast. I've been running the 208 in the woods this week getting my skid trail sorted out, and I can't imagine running a 450 or 648 in my woods.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

BargeMonkey

 Its a 95' 450C, I got pictures of the VIN tag for insurance. Its a beast of a machine, Im hoping to get it down here after I get off the boat. Deere winch worked fine, I think shes going to get fenders welded onto her, and a few extra sliders. Anyone ever welded big fenders on a dual arch grapple..?  Am I asking for trouble ?

240b

my 515 came with out fenders, i bought a set from the parts dept at cat..  they helped having them  I think. you could bend them if your not careful. but some folks can break anything..   

loggah

I put fenders on mine,just make sure they aren't to high in the middle and hit on the grapple frame when its extended way out.i didnt have any issues ,lots of times on a long pull i would use the winch with 10 cable chokers you can get a bunch more wood in that way, and once the hitch was brought in i would put the grapple around it as far as it would go. this worked really well coming down steep ground held the wood back so you could still steer well,instead of having the wood jammed against the machine
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

BargeMonkey

 We get steel "drops" or cut offs from our local steel yard at reasonable prices so I think some 3/4 plate should do the trick. What do you think about putting a pusher plate on top of the arch ?  Ive seen them but didnt know if it was useful or foolish.

CCC4

I have always thought that some sort of pusher back there would be wicked! I can't think of a better cosmetic/resourceful addition to a skidder. I want to see pics if you do it! ...please! LOL!

BargeMonkey

 If I could ever figure out how to do it off my phone I would upload quite a few. Where I live is horrible for service. Yeah some paint, steel and a complete service and I should be dragging wood with it once I get home off the boat. I do alot of "danger trees" near house, hate doing them but I get suckered in and thought maybe a pusher on the arch would do the trick. We have had enough snow this year I may even add brackets to the blade to mount my 10ft 1way snow plow.

loggah

I put a tree pusher on the top of my Franklin dual arch grapple it worked great!!! I built it off the big box tubing frame  with a piece of 1" thick plate and then i took another piece of 1"x4" and welded it on edge for a stiffener ,you need to make it as strong as possible !! you can get up to about 12' up on a tree ,and you got all kinds of pressure you can put on it hydraulically. I really wish i had taken a few pictures ,but i was busy logging and didn't even think of photographs at the time !!!I had a one way highway for my  franklin I just cut a few slots thru the blade  and ran the snowplow push frame thru the slots and put a couple of big clevis thru the holes and a chain to the top of the blade  to lift the blade with.
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

loggah

Bargemonkey,  The best thing to do for fenders is get a set of the bolt on tree farmer fenders and weld them on ,years ago i bought a set off Loggers equip in Glens falls , my brother may have a set he took off his c6 when they put the skyworker on it. I started a thread on my franklin and shows the tree pusher i put on my dual arch. Don
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

1270d

Quote from: loggah on February 26, 2014, 05:19:41 PM
Bargemonkey,  The best thing to do for fenders is get a set of the bolt on tree farmer fenders and weld them on ,years ago i bought a set off Loggers equip in Glens falls , my brother may have a set he took off his c6 when they put the skyworker on it. I started a thread on my franklin and shows the tree pusher i put on my dual arch. Don

what is the skyworker?

loggah

He put an Aerial lift bucket on a 1988 C6D  tree farmer for his tree business, he had to take the rear fenders off to do it because of the rear outriggers.
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

BargeMonkey

 Hmmm... I will send you PM, if you had a set or knew of a set im interested. Yeah I see fenders and a pusher in the future. Now ive gotta figure out a "push pull" tube set up for my landing loader so I can just grab it with the grapple. I bought a self propelled Barko loader 6 months ago but she is helpless once you get off decent road. 

loggah

The guy that i worked with for years had his hood loader on an old r model mack, it was a pain, always another engine to get started,registrations, general maintenance, well after a while i convinced him to get rid of the truck and we put the crane on a regular crane trailer . it was made so you could just move it around in the yard with the grapple , or even his 518 cat cable skidder. the other good thing was you could pile wood all around it without worrying about a cab,engine ,etc. where the grapple would hitch on the trailer front was like 2 pieces of well casing spread apart with 1/2" flat plate welded top and bottom so it was about 3' wide,and then had a piece of 4x8 box tubing welded across the front so the grapple wont slip off.
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

Thank You Sponsors!